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You already know that time tracking and management are at the heart of good productivity. Knowing how long you will need to be focused for will help you achieve that focus, avoid distractions, and get things done quicker.
But even when you have decided that you want to dive deep into work for 45 minutes, it may be hard to make sure you actually do. Even constantly looking at your watch can be an enormous distraction. (And if you want to know which are the biggest time wasters and how to avoid them, you can check this article on distractions.)
Fortunately, there are plenty of apps that work as timers and allow you to forget to check the time. Keep reading to find out which ones are my favorite.
My Favorite Timer Apps
You are probably already familiar with the Pomodoro technique. It is a time management strategy that alternates periods of deep focus (typically, 25 minutes) with short breaks where you can stretch your legs, check your notifications, and let your mind relax.
You can adapt this method to your needs — for example, by having shorter or longer focus times. But once you find your productivity rhythm, it is most likely to work because, to put it simply, you cannot stay focused forever.
Since you shouldn’t then waste time checking your watch to make sure that you are following your Pomodoro schedule, here are a few handy apps that will do that for you:
- Egg Timer Type down your minutes and a link will appear. Once you click on it, the countdown will start. When time is up, you will see a page popping up and can also set an audio alert.
- TimeCube This bright little box is a fun way to keep yourself on track and has audio and visual alerts. Simple to use and fun to have on the desk as well!
- Tomato Timer It’s a very easy-to-use page that will allow you to set alarms both for your focus and break times.
Your phone. Of course, you can also simply use your phone’s timer. Just make sure that then you don’t keep checking on it — setting it on airplane mode could be a good idea.
